True Calling
by Hazelfrostie
Summary: ThunderClan is threatened by an old enemy... ShadowClan faces twolegs. RiverClan is betrayed, and WindClan is being haunted by memories. Who is the unlikely hero in this story?
1. The Little Click

**Hello! I'm Hazelfrost. Before you read on, let me explain a little more about this story. The charecters are based on role-played charecters from my favorite role-play site. Fogstar, Sharpstar, Smallstar, Shootingstar - All their rights belong to the role-players, not me. Now, A better summary would be this:**

**_When a young kittypet named Qweenie leads her four best friends on a search for the Clans, she discovers secrets some say would be left better alone, and she finds enemys in the most unlikely places… Will the five kittypets soon return home? Or will the meet their death in the forest? Or does StarClan have a completely different fate in mind for them…? _**

**There. Okay, now onto the main event!**

"Grrrr! I'm a mighty warrior!"

A bright orange cat leaped onto the back of a small black-and-white tom, growling. She latched her teeth into his scruff and worried it. He yowled and rolled over at once. "Oh yeah?" hissed the tom playfully. "Well I'm a mightier warrior!"

Whiskers, the pretty orange she-cat, sat down. "Hey, that's no fair Pepper! I'm the mightiest warrior in all the forest! You can't be mightier then I am," she complained. Pepper shrugged. "That's okay, I'm the mightiest warrior in all the world!" he challenged.

"And I'm the mightiest LEADER in all the world!" meowed a new voice. An off-white she-cat leaped down and landed lightly on her paws right between the two bickering cats. Princess was a beautiful, compact little cat with dark golden paws, crest, and tip of tail. Pepper was a milk-white tom with black patches on his left ear, his legs and his back. He was of small build, with a round belly and a long tail. Whiskers was bright orange with a white crest and muzzle. Two more cats appeared from the gardens, one was fluffy, dark gray with dark blue eyes. Her fur had a scawny, bunched up appearance, as though it was rarely ever groomed. But that was how she always looked, groomed or not. The last cat was a very light gray with darker gray paws, tail and crest. Pepper smiled at the Princess. "We know you are, Princess!" he squeaked. Princess was sort of like the leader of the little click, as they were called. The little click.

"Honestly!" meowed a new cat. It was River, a light calico. "Ever since Smokey told you stories about the cats in the forest, you've been pretending you were clan cats! Don't you ever tire of that game?"

"Never!" mewed the dark gray she-cat. "ClickClan, attack!" added Princess. At once the young cats surged upon the calico, and she ran off, hissing and screeching. "We took care of her!" giggled Whiskers.

Later, when the sun had slipped away and the stars were out, the little click could be found in a broken-down barn at the edge of the forest, gathered around a elderly gray tabby.

"Well, Goldenheart would not have it. He let loose a fearsome battle cry and lunged at the evil cat, finally finishing him off in one quick bite, and Bloodlust was no more."

The young kittypets gasped. "Goldenheart was so… brave!" whispered Pepper. "And noble!" added Princess. Smokey chuckled.

"Yes, Goldenheart was." he purred. "Now, you young cats had better scamper off to your homes!" he meowed, getting to his paws. "Tomorrow I'll tell you the story of Akeelah and Docileleaf."

"Smokey?" mewed the dark gray cat, standing with him. "Yes, Qweenie?" he asked, fixing his gaze on her. "Are the clans real?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

"Why of course they are!" meowed Smokey, looking surprised. "You think I make up these stories myself? Yes, they all really did happen. In fact, most the cats from the stories are still alive!"

"Is Goldenheart?" demanded Pepper at once. Smokey shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He died from the injurys that Bloodlust gave him that day."

"You didn't tell us that part!" exclaimed Whiskers. Smokey chuckled. "I didn't want to spoil it for you. Now, good night, you five," he meowed, dismissing them.

"Qweenie! I just killed you!"

Qweenie woke from her reverie. "What?" she asked blankly. Lilo sighed. "I just killed you, just now! Duh, now you've joined Pepper in StarClan!" growled the siamese. Qweenie sighed. "Right, sorry," she mewed. She padded over to Pepper, who was watching the play-fight boredly. "Being in StarClan is no fun," mewed the black-and-white tom. Qweenie nodded. "Hey Pepper, if you were in a Clan, what do you think your warrior name would be?" she asked him, her blue eyes glowing. He thought for a moment. "I would be Pepperedpelt!" he declared. Qweenie purred. "I would be Blueflower," she mewed. Pepper blinked. "That's a pretty name." he purred.

"I would be Whitewhisker!" meowed Whiskers suddenly, making the other two jump. "Whiskers!" mewed Pepper. "You scared me!" Whiskers purred. Princess killed me." she explained. "So now it's just between her and Lilo."

"Princess will win!" meowed Qweenie. "Evil never wins!"

"What are you talking about Qweenie? Lilo is on the good side!" demanded Whiskers, staring at the gray she-cat. "I know," purred Qweenie. "But she killed me, thus making her evil."

The three cats laughed.

"Look, Princess won!" declared Pepper. They all cheered. "Yay, Princess!" cried Qweenie. Lilo came over, followed by Princess.

"Wowee, what a fight!" purred Princess.

"We're discussing names." Pepper mewed. "Names?" aske Lilo, flopping down next to Whiskers.

"Yeah, like I would be Blueflower, Pepper would be Pepperedpelt and Whiskers would be Whitewhisker. What would you guys be?" Qweenie asked her companions. Princess thought a moment. "Goldenfoot." she decided. "But I would be leader, so I guess I'd be Goldenstar."

Lilo purred. "I would be Lilyfoot," she mewed.

Qweenie stood and began pacing. "Wouldn't it be cool if we went and found the Clans?" she asked tentively. "Sure," yawned Lilo. "If they were real."

"What do you mean? You heard Smokey – The Clans are real! And the cats rom the stories are still alive!"

Princess was shaking her head. "Qweenie, Qweenie, Qweenie, Smokey thinks he hatched from an egg for pitys sake! He must have thought up the clans himself, too!" she mewed. Qweenie looked at her sadly. "But… He was right about there being a nest of baby birds in that huge oak tree! Maybe he's right about the clans too." She gazed at the forest longingly.

"Qweenie, I hate to burst your bubble, but a hundred cats living out in the wild, with no humans to feed them? It makes a great story, but really, it just can't happen," meowed Lilo. Qweenie bristled.

"Hey, calm down everycat," mewed Princess hastily. "Don't worry about it Qweenie. Lets play… I know, lets go pretend River is a badger on our territory!" She jumped to her paws and flicked her tail excitedly. "Come on, ClickClan!"

As the other four raced away, Qweenie paused a moment longer to gaze out into the depths of the forest, longing in her dark blue eyes…

Princess stared out the window back in her housefolks home. She and Qweenie lived in the same house, and Whiskers lived at the house next door. Across the black path lived Pepper, and Lilo lived two houses down from him. As Princess gazed outside, she wondered where Qweenie was. That day the little click had gone to hear another story from Smokey, but Qweenie had come home early because she didn't feel well. However, when Princess had come home she couldn't find Qweenie anywhere in the house, and her scent was stale – Qweenie had not come home at all. But where could she have gone? She thought back to earlier that day.

"_Hey Smokey, who's the leader of all the Clans now?" Qweenie asked. Smokey purred. "They all have the same leader, except for ThunderClan of course. Majicou became leader after Firestar died," explained the tom. _

"_Who are you going to tell us about now, Smokey?" Whiskers pleaded. _

"_Meekheart abd Luckwhisker!" meowed the elderly tom, standing. "Let's begin. _

_Meekheart was a most kindhearted and beautiful medicine cat, her fur black as night and her eyes as green as newleaf grass. She was disciplined and organized… Whereas Luckfleet was a clumsy, silly, playful warrior who-"_

"_Smokey?" Qweenie interrupted. Smokey blinked. _

"_Yes?"_

_I'm not feeling that well… I think I'll have to go home. Sorry." she mewed. Smokey sighed. _

"_That's okay. How about you all go home now and I'll tell the story some other time so Qweenie doesn't miss out?"_

"_Oh, no, that's okay. You guys can all hear the story – I'll be fine on my own," meowed Qweenie quickly. "Really."_

_Smokey looked uncertain. "If you're sure…"_

"_Oh yes! I'll be okay. Goodbye!" Qweenie dashed away. Just before she left she paused and looked back. "Um… Smokey… Where did you say the RiverClan cats made their camp? Only I saw a place on our way here that looked like we could use it for a RiverClan camp…?"_

"_Oh, they make camp on a little island at the river," meowed Smokey. Qweenie nodded and disappeared._

Suddenly Princess sat up. "RiverClan!" she gasped. What if that wasn't the real reason for Qweenies question? What if… What if she went to go find her favorite clan, RiverClan?

**Oooh! Please, R&R!**


	2. Into the Wild

**Hope you all liked it! Now, the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: All charecters in the story belong to their role-players. Well, except the cute kittypets. They're all MINE! Also, I did not make up Warriors. That would be Erin Hunter.**

Qweenie flinched at every little noise. It had been foolish to go into the forest alone, she knew. But she had, just HAD to find the clans! It was an obsession that drove her on even when her paws ached so badly she was sure they would fall off. Mostly it was determination to prove Lilo wrong that drove her on. She would find the clans, and when she did, her friends would have to always respect her!

Qweenie felt guilt well up inside her. Who was she to feel this upset? Her friends had always respected her, always. Just because they didn't agree to search for the clans with her, didn't mean they didn't respect her. _iOh, Princess was right… What if I've come out here for nothing? Smokey is crazy… He thinks mice have a secret organization called DTKC – Destroy The Killer Cats. How lame is that? I should go back…/i _

Qweenie turned around and set back determinedly.

"Whiskers, Whiskers!" cried a voice, waking Whiskers from her nap in the window. She yawned and looked out the window for the source of the noise. It was the members of the little click! What were they doing here? She jumped down and padded out the cat flap to join them. "What's going on?" she asked Princess, looking at her blearily.

"Qweenie is missing." Princess replied bluntly.

"She might have gone to look for the Clans!" added Pepper. His eyes were huge in shock.

"What?" demanded Whiskers. "That's crazy! Why would she do that?" Princess shook her head.

"I don't know, but she never came home from the barn… Remember how she was asking Smokey where the RiverClan camp was? She might have been intending to look for them!" wailed the golden siamese. "This is all my fault! I should have gone home with her!"

At once the members of the click crowded around Princess.

"It wasn't your fault, Princess! We all should have been more open-minded!" insisted Pepper.

"Peppers right… We all know Qweenie always goes the extra mile to prove her point… Oh dear, oh dear.." mewed Lilo.

"We'll have to go look for her! Right away before she gets lost or something!" exclaimed Whiskers. Princess nodded, her green eyes watery.

"We'll have to go right away!" she meowed softly. "Come on!" She stood and, with her tail held high, led the little click away from Whiskers house, towards the forest.

"Um… Princess?" mewed Lilo in a tiny voice. The golden siamese turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Uh… This place looks… Scary…" she meowed, looked at the tall trees that cast spidery shadows on the forest floor. Princess' green eyes glittered. "We have to go in there!" she mewed urgently. "Qweenie is in there!"

"Are you certain she went in there?" Pepper spoke up. He, too, was looking at the forest apprehensively. Princess sighed.

"Got any other bright ideas on where she went?" she growled. "Come on!"

Qweenie's heart thudded against her chest franticly. Once more, she took about three steps forward, with the same result. The scent of the forest changed! Three steps backwards, it smelled of autumn and musty leaf mold, but three steps forward and she could smell the river and many fields of long grass. iIt must be a clan boundary! What else could it be/i she thought, her blue eyes sparkling with delight. iI was right! I was RIGHT! The clans are really here/i She did a little happy dance, laughing wildly. She had found the Clans after all! She bounded across the scent once more, and further into the forest. Was she on RiverClan territory? She hoped so, though she really had no idea how to tell one clans scent. She bounded through grass that went way, way, way, over her head, chasing grasshoppers and giggling.

After a while, Qweenie wondered where she was. There was no way she could return to her home after she iknew/i the Clans were really here, but how could she find RiverClans camp? She paused, her ears pricked. She closed her eyes ad listened… She could hear… She could hear…. The river! Her eyes shot open and she took off, racing through the grass while the sound of running water grew louder and louder until…

"ReeeOOWWW!"

Qweenie shrieked as she was knocked backward by a cat, like, two times her size! He was white, with pale ginger around his ears and all of his tail. His green eyes burned fiercely as he placed a paw on her chest, pinning her to the ground. "This is RiverClan territory! What are you doing here?" he growled. iRiverClan territory/i

"No-nothing! I was l-looking for R-RiverClan!" she meowed shakily. The warrior growled. "What do you want!" he hissed.

"Redcloud!" meowed a voice from behind the warrior. "What are you doing?"

Redcloud stepped back, still pinning Qweenie to the ground, to reveal a light gray she-cat who looked remarkably like Lilo.

"I found a spy on our territory!" growled Redcloud. The warrioress leaned down and sniffed Qweenie gingerly. "Redcloud, she's a ikittypet/i She's not here to spy! Let her go for StarClans sake," meowed the siamese. Redcloud growled, but let Qweenie go. She rose shakily to her paws. This wasn't how she had planned to find the clans.

"What iare/i you doing out so far into the forest, kittypet?" asked the she-cat.

"Give me the word, Fuzzyfur, and she'll be gone!" growled Redcloud. Fuzzyfur shook her head.

"I… I came to find RiverClan… Because… Well, to prove that there really are clans in the forest. My… Friends don't believe me." Qweenie mewed in a small voice. Fuzzyfur sighed.

"Kittypet, you really shouldn't wander into the forest alone, whatever the reason. It's a wonder you didn't get eaten by a fox or something!" meowed Fuzzyfur. She turned around and began padding away, making Qweenie panic. She did NOT want to be left alone with Redcloud. But Fuzzyfur called over her shoulder, "Come on, kittypet! You to Redcloud, and Eveningpaw!"

A tortishell apprentice appeared from the tall grasses, staring at Qweenie with wide, blue eyes. Qweenie glanced at Redcloud and raced to Fuzzyfurs side. "Where are we going?" she asked the warrioress. "To camp," replied Fuzzyfur.

"Whiskers! Pepper! Lilo! iAnyone/i Where did you all go!"

Princess looked around for her friends. "Well!" she mewed. "I never thought… How could they… Those… I'll get them… When I find them… GUYS!" she shouted. "Arrg! When I get m paws on them they'll--"

"What do you think you're doing, scareing all the prey like that?" mewed a voice.

Princess jumped and whirled around. A young cat, a ivery/i young cat was poking her head out of the weeds. She was light gray with dark spots speckling her body.

"Who are you?" gasped Princess. The kitten stepped out of the weeds calmly.

"Silentkit!" she mewed. "You know... Well, my mom is Dreamcatcher. Who are you?"

Princess gulped. Silentkit? That sounded like a clan name! "P-Princess. I'm Princess."

Silentkit stared. "That is a strange name… What was your apprentice name? Princepaw?" meowed the kitten.

iApprentice/i Princess stumbled backward. "There really are clans in the forest!" she gasped. The kit blinked. "Well iyeah/i! What are you, a lost kittypet?" she mewed scornfully. "Hang on…" She sniffed the air. "You are a kittypet! What are you doing here anyhow?"

Princess sighed. "To make a long story short, I'm looking for my lost friend. There were three more friends with me, but they seemed to have abandoned me. I can't find them anywhere," she admitted. Silentkit wriggled her tail. "I could help you look!" she squeaked.

"Silentkit! I know you're there!" called a voice suddenly. Silentkit jumped. "Oh no! Hide me, I'm not supposed to be out here!"

Too late. A silvery bengal padded from the weeds, followed by a golden tom.

"Hi mom! Hi uncle!" squeaked the kit. "Nice day, isn't it? I thought I would, uh, soak up the sin maybe… But you know, now I'm headed back to camp. Goodbye!" she mewed, and started to inch away.

"Oh no you don't! Don't you realize you're keeping the camp waiting? It's time for your apprentice ceremony!" growled the golden tom. Silentkit stopped in her tracks. "Oh! My ceremony! Is it really time? Wow! Amzing! This is great!" she mewed spinning around in circles. The silvery cat sighed. "Remind me again why Scarcewhisper named her Silentkit." She meowed to her friend.

Silentkit stopped. "Hey mom, can Princess come too? Hey Princess – Princess?" She looked around.

iOh Silentkit, you're going to give me away/i thought Princess, hiding behind a rock.

"Who's Princess?" asked the golden tom, looking puzzled.

"I smell kittypet!" declared the she-cat.

"Oh, there you are, Princess! Come meet my mom, Dreamcatcher, and my uncle, Troublemaker!" squeaked Silentkit. Princess sighed.

Troublemaker trotted over. "Kittypet!" he growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll drive her out," declared Dreamcatcher. "No! Wait!" meowed Princess. "Wait. I'll leave your forest, I promise. But first I have to find my friends. They're lost," she explained. Dreamcatcher looked exasperated. "More kittypets? Just how many are lost out here?" she demanded.

"Uh… Including me, there's be five."

Troublemaker sighed. "We could let her find her friends…" he mewed slowly.

"We have to drive her out!" agrued Dreamcatcher. "My father would be mad if we didn't."

Majicou, Princess reflected, was Dreamcatchers father.

"Yes… Well, we'll take her to him. He can decide."

Princess's jaw dropped. From the stories, she knew Majicou would inot/i be happy to have her.

"Yay!" mewed Silentkit. "Now you can see my ceremony!"

"Well, this isn't good!" declared Lilo. "We're out on a search-and-rescue for Qweenie, and iwe/i get lost! Where is Princess and Whiskers? How could we have gotten separated?"

Pepper shook his head. "No idea," he mewed glumly. "I would say we should go back home and wait, but we have no idea where home even is."

"Hear hear," grumbled Lilo. "Why did Qweeine even have to come out here in search of the clans anyways? How dumb can you get?"

"She was just curious," Pepper defended Qweenie. Lilo sighed. "Sure, come on."

The two friends were buffeted by strong winds as they traveled upwards across the bare moorland. "You know…" mewed Pepper. "Maybe Qweenie was onto something." Lilo looked at him incrediously.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"Well… If the clans were real, this would be the perfect place for WindClan."

"Yeah, if they were real."

"Hey… You never know. They could be real."

"Yeah, but how could they possibly live out here? Smokey says they'd catch prey, but I haven't seen so much as a mousetail!"

"Maybe you weren't looking hard enough. You know, Smokey lives off mice."

"Yeah, but Smokey is one cat. A whole clan? Highly unlikely."

Pepper didn't answer, and Lilo felt guilty. She hated arguing with the gentle tom, even if she knew she was right. After all… She did like him. She sighed and leaped over some scattered brambles. Why couldn't Pepper see she liked him? What would it take for him to notice her, anyways? iHe won't never notice me… He's to busy padding after Qweenie all the time/i she thought bitterly.

"That's it! That iit/i!" shouted Lilo about fifteen minutes later. "I swear we've passed that bush like, three times already! We're going in circles!" Pepper raised a paw and covered his eyes. "I wanna go home!" he moaned.

"If only Qweenie hadn't gotten that mouse-brained idea in her head!" fumed the siamese. Pepper didn't reply. Lilo peeked at him. The black-and-white tom was sitting straight with his ears pricked forward and his jaws parted to scent the air. "Get down!" he hissed suddenly, ducking. Lilo obeyed without question, her heart beginning to quicken.

"What is it?" she hissed.

"Cats!"

"Cats?"

"Shh! Yes… Look!"

Lilo peered over the rock and saw three cats padding across the moorland, jaws laden with birds, rabbits and mice.

"Clan cats!" whispered Pepper. "Qweenie was right!"

"Impossible!" muttered Lilo.

The cats trotted over a hill and disappeared from view. "Let's follow them!" mewed Lilo excitedly. Peppers eyes grew huge. "What?" he meowed shakily. Lilo didn't answer, but bounded away, leaving Pepper no choice but to follow her.

The two friends padded across the moorland, Lilo's eyes fixed on the place where the cats had disappeared. iClan cats! Real Clan cats! This mst be WindClan… Oh, Qweenie was right! Where are the others? I hope they're okay…/i she thought as she traveled upward. Pepper took the lead, his jaws parted. iHe's a natural at this… He would make a good Clan cat, maybe./i she thought with a sigh, admiring his stance. Suddenly he crested the ridge, stopped, and backed away. "Lilo!" he hissed. "Come look at this!"

Lilo quickened her pace until she stood side-by-side with Pepper. What she saw took her breath away.

Below them, moorland grasses and brush was taken and made into a protective wall, and inside was a bunch of cats. Two elderly cats sat outside a den made a brambles, along with a little kitten. One appeared to be telling the kit a story, her tail waving like Smokeys did whenever he told the little click a story. Outside another den, two cats, about the same age as Pepper and Lilo were in a play-fight, hissing playfully and pouncing on eachother.

Two warriors sat by a pile of fresh-kill, sharing a chaffinch. One was silvery gray and the other was dark gray with burning amber eyes.

A high stone stood proudly at the edge of camp, and from where they stood, Pepper and Lilo could see that it was hollowed out. Standing in front of the high stone was a proud-looking fog-pelted tom, his fur neatly groomed and shining in the setting sun.

It was the WindClan camp!

**Now I bet you're wondering what happened to Whiskers. Hahahaha...,. Please, R&R!**


	3. Looking Up

**I hope I'm doing good so far! Oh, and just so you know, these first four chappys were entered at the same time, so thats why I'm not thanking peeps for making reveiws! But thanks to all you who will in the future reveiw!**

Whiskers stared in awe at the proud silver bengal that stood before her. Her eyes glimmered with wisdom in the fading light, and Whiskers could see that everything Smokey told her about the ShadowClan leader was true – Shootingstar even _smelled_ noble.

"Where did you find her?" the she-cat asked Bittentail.

"By the pine trees, near the bog," meowed the spotted tom, his stump-of-a-tail waggling. "She was hunting."

_Was not_ thought Whiskers bitterly, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Shootingstar stepped forward and sniffed Whiskers gingerly. "She doesn't have a Clan scent," growled the leader. "What is your name?"

_Ummm…_ "Whitewhisker!" she blurted. iGreat StarClan, I'm in trouble now! What was I thinking/i

"Whitewhisker!" snarled a brown tom. "Never heard of her before. She could have been cast out of a Clan!"

"Quiet, Feralfang." mewed Shootingstar. She looked Whiskers up and down. "Well?" she demanded.

"Um… Yeah… ThunderClan." _Whiskers, from this point on, keep your mouth SHUT _she ordered herself. Shootingstars eyes narrowed. "Right. What are you doing here?"

Whiskers had to think this one over very carefully so as to not make a fool of herself. "Well… I have four friends somewhere… And… I lost them… And I'm looking for them now. And then your patrol came and… Well, you know the rest."

Shootingstar stared at the lost she-cat in disbelief. "Sounds like she was making it up as she went along." breathed Flametails voice in her ear. She nodded.

Whiskers went on. "Uh… Have you seen… Can you help me look for them?" she mewed, suddenly desprate.

"Fawncloud, Stormypaw, take Whitewhisker to the tree stump over there," meowed the leader. "I need to have a council with my senior warriors." She flicked her tail for Flametail, Petitefire and Docileleaf to follow her into her den. Once inside she turned to face her friends. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"It's a trap," mewed Petitefire at once. "Any cat could tell she was making that story up! Somehow she'll give a signal or something…"

Shootingstar nodded. "I think that too. If it is a trap, it's very poorly planned. Flametail, will you send extra patrols? I think I want to keep this cat in camp – For a while at least. Maybe we'll get some information from her."

"What if she wants to get ShadowClan secrets from us, so she can share it with ThunderClan?" Docileleaf suggested. Shootingstar paused. "That's a possibility as well… but…" She paused, thinking. "Flametail, have Comettail take a patrol over to ThunderClan… Find out if this Whitewhisker is for real."

Flametail nodded, understanding glimmering in his eyes.

"Petitefire, see that Whitewhisker has a guard on her at all times. This is an interesting development… I want to find out what is going on."

Petitefire growled, but didn't argue.

Qweenie stared around in amazment at the Clans camp. "This is amazing!" she told Fuzzyfur. Fuzzyfur smiled, despite herself. "Lets go tell Smallstar you're here." She mewed. Qweenie danced on her paws, ignoring Redclouds disapproving glare. Eveningpaw had gone forward to announce their arrival to Smallstar.

Qweenie stopped when she saw the chocolate siamese. He really iwas/i tiny! No bigger then her, in fact. "Hi, Smallstar," she mewed respectfully. Smallstar seemed surprised at being called by name. "Hello. Eveningpaw tells me you were looking for RiverClan, to prove to your friends we existed," he mewed. He gestured with his tail as if to say "Here we are!" Qweenie smiled. "Yes. Um, sorry… I probably shouldn't have.."

Smallstar stopped her with a twitch of his tail. "I was foolish. But The past's in the past now, Qweenie. Have a look around, if you like. You can tell your friends all about his place when you return," he purred. Qweenie looked surprised, then excited. "Really! Oh, Smallstar that's wonderful! Thank you, thank you Smallstar!" She did a little happy dance as she spoke. Smallstar smiled.

"Off you go then, Qweenie. I hope you don't mind that I send Lionheart to look after you." He winked at her. She grinned. With a hastyily mewed "Thanks!", the kittypet dashed off, a faded golden cat padding after her calmly. She turned to her escort. "I know who you are!" she mewed, all bubbly and bright. Lionheart looked mildly surprised. "Huh?"

"Smokey told me all about you! Well, sorta. There wasn't a istory/i about you, but he said that Bloodlust had three kits. You, and two others. I forget their names though. I just remember you because you looked exactly like him."

Lionheart stared at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked, perplexed.

"Oh. Sorry. Smokey is a cat that lives at the edge of the forest. He tells me and my friends all sorts of clan stories! He's how I came to know the clans were here!" she told him.

Lionheart smiled. "Oh, I see. That's interesting. Well, you'll have a story to tell him, won't you?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Qweenie, excitedly. "This is so awesome!"

Lionheart took Qweenie on a guided tour of RiverClan camp and the territory around. They didn't have enough time to explore all of the territory though, before the sun began to fade. Now the warrior and the kittypet trotted easily back to camp.

As the two entered camp, Qweenie could tell at once that something was wrong. "Whats the matter?" she asked breathlessly. The Clan was whispering uneasily amongst themselves in little huddles, and many looked worried. Loinheart shook his head and loped forward to meet Smallstar, who was emerging from his den with Azuresun and Silverpool.

"What happened?" the golden tom asked at once. Smallstar sighed.

"I sent a patrol to ThunderClan asking for permission to escort Qweenie home through their territory… Well, they wouldn't hear us out…" He looked at Azuresun. Qweenie noticed the deputy had several cuts and stratches.

"They attacked us," she mewed softly. "Fallenpaw is in Meekhearts den right now, being treated… So is Spottedbelly."

At mention of his sisters name, Lionheart tensed.

"They accused us of hunting in their territory, and said we could expect trouble from them if we didn't stop."

Silence filled the clearing.

Lilo and Pepper stared in awe at the WindClan camp before them. "There really are Clans in the forest!" whispered Lilo. Four cats trotted over and exchanged brief words with the ghostly tom Lilo knew must be Fogstar. He nodded and they started up the hill – Right towards them!

"Run!" hissed Pepper. Lilo didn't need to be told twice. She and Pepper dove for a sage bush not far behind them. It was a lousy hiding place, but Lilo couldn't see anyplace better.

At the head of the patrol was a brown bengal with amber eyes. He paused at the crest of the hill, scenting the air warily. "Kittypet!" he announced. Lilos heart sank, and she felt Pepper shift uncomfortingly against her. Golden she-cat with black markings stepped confidently past the bengal towards the bush. "Foolish kittypets," she hissed softly. "We can see you're there."

Gulping, Lilo stepped from the bush, followed by Pepper. "Um… Hi?"

"When I get my paws on Qweenie…" grumbled Lilo as they were marched down the slope by the patrol. Fogstar looked up, and his eyes narrowed. In fact, most the Clan was now staring at the patrol. The bengal stepped forward. "Fogstar, these ikittypets/i were spying on our camp." He told the white tom. Fogstar turned to face the two kittypets, his eyes mildly curious, but he didn't say anything. Lilo was surprised that she knew he was waiting for them to explain themselves.

"Um, well," she mewed in a very high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat and went on. "Pepper and I, uh, we went into the forest with two of our other friends… We're looking for Qweenie, who's lost somewhere in the forest… So now everybodys lost… Um, have you seen them? Can you help us?" she mewed, her voice becoming desprate. She knew she had no choice then to throw herself at the mercy of the WindClan leader.

Fogstar stared at them for about five minutes, his whiskers twitching. Those five minutes seemed to last an eternity for Lilo and Pepper as they awaited his answer. _If Fogstar sends us away…_

Quite suddenly, the pale white cat turned and walked to the dark gray tom and a copper bengal she-cat.

"Moonstalker, Autumnstep, see to it that every warrior knows that they shall not harm these guests,that they are to stay here as long as they wish and are expected to be treated as equals. And make sure they they give you a very detailed description of their missing friends" he meowed with authority. "Yes, Fogstar," mewed Moonstalker, tail twitching.

Then the noble cat turned and nodded to the kittypets. "I hope you enjoy your stay, and find your friends." He then turned and entered his den alone, leaving Pepper and Lilo stunned. "I just decided he's my favorite Clan leader." Pepper breathed in Lilos ear. Lilo smiled.

Princess looked around in amazment. _Wow… Remind me never to doubt Qweenie again_ she thought. The ThunderClan camp was as Smokey had always described it. The warriors den, the apprentice den, the Highrock and…. Majicou!

The silvery white cat marched forward. "Do you realize you've kept the whole Clan waiting?" he growled at Silentkit, who shrank away. "Maybe you're not worthy to become an apprentice yet! Apprentices never sneak off without telling someone! Do you understand me?"

Silentkit nodded with huge, blue eyes.

"Off you go then. And you can explain to your brothers why your ceremony is going to be a day late!" he spat. Silentkit fled to the nursery. For the first time, Majicou noticed Princess. "A kittypet!" he meowed angrily.

"She was by Snakerocks," mewed Dreamcatcher. Princess nodded, her pale green eyes wide.

"Me and my friends came looking for another friend who's lost in here somewhere, and then they got lost, or maybe I got lost, but anywho we're all lost and now I can't find them and I need help so I can just go home!" mewed Princess in a rush. The tom blinked.

"You mean to tell me there are imore/i kittypets on my territory? How many?" he demanded. "Um… Including me… Five."

He growled and flicked his tail angrily. "Owlwing, Sandpelt, escort this kittypet to the twolegplace. Fallenleaf, tell the patrols to keep an eye out for any more of them. If they find them, make sure they're taken to the twolegplace as well." He ordered swiftly.

"Yes, Sharpstar," mewed a dark brown tabby. _Sharpstar? Well… I guess he couldn't keep his old name._

A sandy-colored she-cat and a bracken-colored tom stepped from the crowd to Princess' side, ready to take her home. Halfway out of camp, Princess stopped.

"Sharpstar!" she mewed loudly. He turned back to face her, whiskers twitching.

"Now what?" he snapped.

"I'm not leaving the forest," she told him, her head held high. Mews and gasps arose from the crowd. No one crossed Sharpstar.

"Not until I find my friends," she went on. "We're bound together, and we've never been separated for long. You can have your warriors chase me out – I'll come back. I'll always come back, until all my friends are home safe and sound. So I'm going to find my friends in this forest, with or without your help."

Silence greeted the kittypets words. Princess stood, staring challengingly at Sharpstar who could have easily swatted her aside with one paw. Now, Princess didn't know Sharpstar well enough to read the twitch of his whiskers, but she saw Fallenleaf exchange a rather exasperated glance with a friend, and she knew she had won.

"This is my fault!" Qweenie wailed suddenly. Eyes turned to look at her. "I shouldn't have come in the first place. Smallstar, I'm so sorry," she mewed. The siamese looked at her sympathetically.

"No," he mewed. "It's not your fault. In fact, if you hadn't have come, and I didn't send out that patrol, we would have had no warning at all. Now, my Clan has a chance to prepare itself for trouble from ThunderClan."

Qweenie looked at him, ears pricked. It was true, but was Smallstar just trying to make her feel better?

"Azuresun, make sure we have extra patrols on that border," meowed Smallstar. Qweenie saw movement from the corner of her eye, and turned to see Redcloud, staring coldly at the RiverClan deputy. "I can take the dawn patrol tomorrow, Azuresun," he mewed coolly. She nodded gratefully to him.

Qweenie looked away uneasily. Something made her stomach churn, something in Redclouds eyes…

"Qweenie?"

She looked up. "Oh, sorry Smallstar," she mewed. He smiled. "Looks like you're going to have to stay a little longer then expected. I hope your friends don't worry to much," he mewed. Qweenie shook her head. "I hope not too! Thank you Smallstar – You've been so kind," she meowed in almost a whisper. The siamese waved her off with a flick of his tail. "You can sleep in the apprentices den tonight, Qweenie. I'll get you home as soon as I can."

Qweenie nodded and turned away. As she followed Eveningpaw and Goldpaw to the apprentices den, she glanced back at Redcloud. The white warrior was speaking to Azuresun and Smallstar, looking like any respectful cat. But Qweenie wasn't so sure… What had she seen in his eyes?

**Haha... Wait till you hear what happens next to Whiskers! **


	4. Unexpected Happenings

**Aaaand, chapter four!**

Whiskers brooded about camp, skulking. Her amber eyes were dull with boredom. Okay, so it was her own fault she was being held prisoner, but she still thought Shootingstar was being unfair. Sorta. Finally, she had enough. She padded over to sit next to her guard, a shadowy black she-cat.

"Hi," she mewed. Shadowclaw glanced at her. "Hi."

After a few moments of silence Whiskers went on. "What's your name?"

"Shadowclaw. What are you doing, anyways?"

"Talking."

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"No, not really."

Silence followed.

"Shadowclaw?"

"Now what?"

"Have you ever played I Spy?"

"What?"

"I Spy! It's very fun. You see, I say something like... 'I spy something green' And then you look around and try to guess what it is!"

"And… Why would I play I Spy?"

"Because. I'm bored. You're bored. We're all bored!"

Shadowclaw stared at her. Taking her silence as a signal to go on, Whiskers looked around. "I spy something… Orange, white and black."

Truly bored out of her mind, Shadowclaw looked around. "Is it… Petitefire?"

"Who's Petitefire?"

"That warrior, over there."

"Oh. Yeah, Petitefire. Your turn!"

"My turn? Oh, okay. I spy something… Green."

"Oh, boy. This is going to be tough!"

"Yep."

"Do I get a hint?"

"Nope!"

"Mouse dung!"

The two sorta-friends giggled and played the game as the sun dipped towards the horizon. Whiskers was so used to her other friends style, she found playing with Shadowclaw was quite exciting. She got stumped for a long time on "I spy something orange and white!" Which turned out to be her.

Sadly, Shadowclaw was replaced by a white cat with gray on her ears and tail. This turned out to be Spottedlilly. Not long after, Spottedlilly and Whiskers were giggling like kits as they watched the tom cats march around camp, showing off their egos. Spottedlilly was then replaced by young Milkfrost, and again the two became friends.

_I could get used to this_ thought Whiskers, grinning.

"Who would have known, three days back, that we would be here, on a patrol with WindClan?" mewed Lilo. Pepper beamed. The two kittypets were on patrol a with Mothtwister and Tallpaw. Descriptions of Princess, Qweenie and Whiskers were now known among the WindClan cats, and everybody was searching for them. Unfortunently, there was not a trace. Pepper and Lilo knew it was not only possible, but very likely that their friends were in another Clans territory. But who said they couldn't have a bit of fun? Fogstar didn't seem to mind if they went training with the apprentices, or go on patrol. Tallpaw loped in between Lilo and Pepper, talking excitedly with Lilo.

Pepper couldn't help but smile whenever Tallpaw looked at Lilo. The off-white tom's eyes would light up whenever he saw Lilo, and Pepper was no fool – He knew the WindClan apprentice liked Lilo.

"Have you ever seen a badger, Tallpaw?" Lilo was asking. Tallpaw shook his head. "No… I'm not sure I want to. They're scary!"

Lilo looked at him, puzzled. "You're afraid of them?" she mewed. Tallpaw nodded.

"Well, you shouldn't be. You're a Clan cat! The conquerors of the forest."

Tallpaw ducked his head, looking ashamed. "I'm afraid of a badger, Lilo!" volunteered Pepper, trying to make Tallpaw feel better. Lilo hardly glanced his way.

"Yeah, but you're also afraid of bees!" she mewed. Tallpaw giggled. "Hey, Lilo, did I tell you about the pheasant I caught once?" asked Tallpaw. Lilo shook her head and Tallpaw launched off into another story. Pepper sighed and continued to watch the horizon.

He blinked. Was that his imagination? No… there was something out there! "Mothtwister!" he mewed. "Look!"

The she-cat did. "It's a cat!" she mewed in surprise. Tallpaw and Lilo shut up at once. "What do we do?" mewed Tallpaw, looking nervous. Mothtwister didn't reply, but started towards the still form. Pepper and the other two followed at a brisk pace. Mothtwister reached the gray tabby first and prodded him. Pepper drew in a sharp breath. The cat was covered in blood!

"Wake up!" mewed Mothtwister gently. Lilo looked striken, Tallpaw, wary. The young tabby moaned and rolled over, looking at them with blue eyes. "Help me!" he whispered, before passing out.

"Qweenie! Hey, Qweenie!"

The kittypet turned and smiled when she saw her friends, Goldpaw and Eveningpaw.

"Hey Qweenie, guess what?" meowed Goldpaw, skidding to a halt in front of her. "Our mentors said you can come training with us!"

Qweenie jumped to her paws, tail twitching. "Wow, really? This is great!" she purred. Eveningpaw nodded.

"You better get something to eat first," she mewed softly. "We're going to be at Sunningrocks all day."

"Doesn't Sunningrocks belong to ThunderClan?" asked Qweenie, puzzled.

"It used to. Come on!"

After a meal of yummy starling, the three young cats left with their mentors, Quietangel and Raindancer. Qweenie kept close, exploring the forest inch by inch. The Clan cats laughed when she ran and hid from a startled mouse. Qweenie didn't feel excluded one bit – It was as though she had grown up in the Clan her whole life.

Soon, they reached the river. To get to Sunningrocks, they had to cross the river – By _swimming._

"Uh… Guys? I have a confession to make… And it's called 'Fear of water'" meowed Qweenie, shying away from the river's edge. The Clan cats turned to look at her.

"Well, this is lovely," mewed Goldpaw. "Come on, Qweenie. It's not that bad." He added. Qweenie padded gingerly to the rivers edge and put a paw in the water. "Yijeebies! It's cold!" she yelped, leaping away from the water. This time Quietangel tried to persuade Qweenie into the river. But this time, she started sinking into the wet sand and ran away in fear of 'Quicksand'.

"This is pathetic, we're wasting time!" meowed Raindancer irritably after many more unsuccessful attempts to get Qweenie across the river. "Quietangel, go on and take the apprentices. I'll escort Qweenie to the stepping stones."

Ashamed, but relieved, Qweenie followed Raindancer to the stepping stones where they ran into the dawn patrol.

"Good morning, Raindancer, kittypet," meowed Redcloud stiffly. "I hope you're not going to Sunningrocks."

"Why not?" mewed Raindancer. "We'll be on our territory. Besides, the apprentices have been looking forward to training outside the hollow."

Redcloud's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. "You're right. If ThunderClan get all upset about that, that's their problem. Good hunting, Raindancer," he mewed unexpectedly. Then he turned and led the patrol away from the river, back home.

"Come on, Qweenie," mewed Raindancer.

"We thought you had gotten eaten by quicksand or something!" Goldpaw teased when they arrived.

"Qweenie was afraid of the stepping-stones." Raindancer explained. "Come on, it's already sunhigh!"

The training session went well. They were heading back to camp with their jaws full of plump prey from the rocks. Qweenie herself held a water vole she had caught herself, purely by chance.

"The hunting was wonderful today!" mewed Goldpaw through a mouthful of fish. "They prey was practicly dancing in front of our noses!"

Quietangel purred. "Come on, lets hurry. Qweenie, stay close!" she warned. The Clan cats quickened their pace, and Qweenie found herself having a difficult time. "Wait!" she called, dropping her catch. It was to late, they had run ahead.

"Oh well," muttered Qweenie, picking up the vole. "They'll come back for me."

The sun was setting, sending streaks of red across the darkening sky. Silence filled the forest, making Qweenies breathing sound loud and labored. Shadows crept across the land. Qweenie gulped. She could swear the shadows were whispering to her. She hurried on, trying to inore her fear. A twig cracked. Qweenie spun around, dropping her vole. "Who's there?" she whispered. No answer. Was she imagining it, or did she hear someone elses breathing? Not wanting to find out, Qweenie turned and fled.

She ran as fast as she had ever before run, her heart in her throat. The wind whistled in her ears. She was utterly terrified. "Goldpaw, Eveningpaw, Raindancer, Quietangel! Anyone!" she yowled.

Something brought her to a halt. A sense of foreboding was in the air. Right ahead, there was a clearing. She stepped gingerly forward, sensing that something was about to happen. Her fur prickled with fear. In the middle of the clearing there was a silvery body, covered in more blood then Qweenie had ever seen in her short lifetime. Pain racked her heart as recongnition came over her.

"Azuresun!" she gasped.

**Thats a cliffy. oO Please R&R!!**


	5. Discovery and Death

**Whew, I had a case of writers block for a while there, so if some of the story sucks... Sorry:D Thank you Midnightstreak and Rippedstar for reveiwing my story, I'm glad you liketh it!**

"Let all cats young and old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

So many times, Princess had heard Smokey say those words, but it was different, hearing them from a Clan leader. Cats gathered around at once, some looking at Princess like she was dirt. Elders padded creakily from the den, warriors stepped proudly into the sunlight, and apprentices pounced clumsily into the clearing. She smiled, green eyes sparkling. From the nursery stepped three kits; Silentkit and her two brothers, one a very darkly colored calico and the other a light brown bengal.

"Cats of ThunderClan, tonight is a momentous night. These kits shall become appprentices of the clan and one day warrior. Blackkit until you recieve your warrior name you will be known as Blackpaw and you shall be mentored by Dalihacloud. Dalihacloud, teach your apprentice well and help him learn the warrior code. Applekit until you recieve your warrior name you will be Applepaw and your mentor will be Sandpelt. Sandpelt train you're apprentice well like you did Fieldmouse. And last but not least Silentkit from this day until you recieve your warrior name you will be Silentpaw and you will be mentored by Fallenleaf. Fallenleaf, teach her well to learn the warrior code," he meowed boldly. Silentpaw beamed, and her two brothers had identical proud faces. She touched noses with Fallenleaf. Princess grinned to see her silver friend so happy.

Later, Silentpaw and her two brothers joined Princess in the shade of the Elders den.

"Hi!" mewed Silentpaw.

"Hi!" mewed Princess. "Were your brothers mad at you for delaying the ceremony?" she asked, glancing at Blackpaw and Applepaw, who chuckled. Silentpaw grinned. "Nah, they were mad 'cause I snuck away without them!" she mewed, batting Blackpaw.

"Anyways, we're apprentices now!" mewed Applepaw proudly. Princess grinned.

"Hey, how are you going to go about finding your friends?" asked Blackpaw. Princess hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted. "No one in the Clan, except you three, seem to want anything to do with me."

Silentpaw looked surprised. "How rude!" she mewed. "Don't worry, we can help you!"

Princess blinked. "How?"

"I dunno…" she mewed, looking puzzled.

"What if you told us what your friends look like, and we can tell everybody in the Clan?" suggested Applepaw.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Blackpaw, leaping up into the air to catch a moth flying by. He landed smack on top of Princess, who rolled on impact, crushing Blackpaw. Excited, Silentpaw and Applepaw joined in the fight.

"Ouch! Would they listen to you guys?"

"Probably not."

"Well, they might."

"Ow! Sheathe your claws, Blackpaw!"

"We could – hey! That hurt! Anyways, we could tell anyone who's headed out of camp to look out for… Yeeow!"

"Yeah! Like, we could wait at the entrance!"

"Don't we have training tomorrow?"

"I hope so! Then I can get you back for this!"

"I don't have training tomorrow, Dalihacloud is on patrol."

"That's my foot!"

"Princess, are you trying to eat my tail?"

"Whoops!"

"What in the name of StarClan is going on here?"

The four young cats looked up at the sound of Sharpstars voice. "What are you doing?" he demanded, glaring at Princess.

"Uh… Playing?"

The next day, Princess awoke surrounded by her three new friends. They had insisted upon putting a "guard" around her incase the other apprentices didn't like her. Windpaw and Featherpaw were awaking Silentpaw. "Come on, come on! There are ShadowClan warriors here!"

Awake at once, Silentpaw turned to her brothers and Princess. "Let's go! We're going to see actual ShadowClan warriors here, and it's not even our first gathering!"

They boys were up in a rabbits hop, and so was Princess. ShadowClan warriors! As she stepped into the sunlight, she saw a black-and-white tom, a flame-colored tom and a brown-and-white she-cat. She realized the flame colored tom must be Flametail, but who were the other two?

"She claims she belonged to ThunderClan, but was banished." Flametail was meowing. Sharpstar frowned. "She didn't come from here," he mewed crossly. "And even if she did, why bother me with it? If I had banished her I wouldn't want to hear from her again, would I?"

"We just wanted to know if it was the truth!" mewed the she-cat. Sharpstar snorted.

"What did this cat look like?" meowed Bloodymemory, looking curious.

"She's… She's bright orange with a white crest and chest. She has yellow eyes and she's very, very friendly," mewed the she-cat, looking eager. Flametail nudged her. "Come on, Fawncloud. We got the information we needed," he murmered. As they started to leave, something clicked in Princess' mind. "Wait!" she cried.

Sharpstar snarled and some of the ThunderClan cats gave her a dirty look, but she ignored them. Flametail had stopped and he was looking back at her.

"I know who she is!" she breathed. "She's my friend, Whiskers, but she's not a banished ThunderClan cat! She's a kittypet… We, I, well we all got lost in the forest… And we're looking for eachother!"

By this time, the ShadowClan cats looked amazed. "She's a kittypet?" mewed the black-and-white tom. Princess nodded. "Can, can she come here and we can-"

"Hold it!" hissed Sharpstar. "One kittypet in my Clan is enough. I don't want two! Flametail, take this one back to your Clan."

Princess looked at him helplessly.

"No, Sharpstar. ShadowClan won't take orders from you." Flametail mewed politely.

"Flametail," Princess mewed. "Can… Can Whiskers stay with you, just a little while longer? I-I want to locate all my friends… So we can all go home."

"How many are there?" Fawncloud asked curiously. "Five," grumbled Sharpstar.

"Allright, then… I'll ask Shootingstar about it, and get back to you." Flametail mewed.

"Oh no you won't!" hissed Sharpstar quite suddenly. "You won't be setting a paw back in my territory!" Flametail looked surprised.

"I'll be sending a patrol to escort you home. My territory has been invaded and I won't be taking any chances – Set a paw over that border and you'll be crowfood!" he snapped.

"ShadowClan hasn't been-" started Flametail, but Sharpstar had turned away. The ShadowClan warriors had no other choice then to leave, flanked by ThunderClan warriors…

Qweenie stepped forward slowly, feeling tears arise. "Azuresun?" she whispered, afraid she would get no answer. To Qweenies surprise, Azuresun moaned. "Qweenie…" she whispered, her voice very faint. Qweenie gasped and padded to the blood-covered deputy. "Azuresun! Listen… I'll I'll… I'll go get Meekheart… Except… I think I'm lost… Oh, I don't know what to do!" she moaned, tears running down her cheeks. Azuresun coughed weakly, spitting blood. "Listen… to… me…" she whispered. Qweenie leaned down to hear Azuresun better, alarmed that her voice had already gotten weaker.

"I'm… dying… Joining my sons…" she whispered. Qweenie shook her head. "No, please no!" she sobbed. "Please… Smallstar… Danger… Redcloud…" Her voice got weaker and weaker, and died away. Azuresun was dead. She had died right before Qweenies eyes. The kittypet stared in horror. "Azuresun!" she whispered. But it was to late… To late! Qweenie stumbled backwards, away. How? Who? What did Azuresun mean? Why? Why why why? As she stared, horror-struck, at Azuresuns blood-soaked body, she suddenly saw something… It was hardly anything, a flash of silvery gray. A brown stripe. Somehow Qweene knew Stonepelt and Lost had come to take her spirit to StarClan… And she was relieved.

"Qweenie! Qweenie!"

Sudden shouts aroused Qweenie. "Goldpaw! Eveningpaw!" she shouted, jumping to her paws. A crashing sound, and the two apprentices appeared, followed by Raindancer and Quietangel.

"Oh, StarClans mercy!" gasped Eveningpaw, halting in her tracks. Raindancer stared, appaled. "Azuresun!" he mewed in a grief-striken voice. Quietangel, trembling, padded over towards the bloody scene. "What happened?" she whispered. Qweenie realized she was crying again.

"Azuresun… She was alive, and she talked to me… But she died… And I think Redcloud and Smallstar are in danger… She told me so…" Qweenie sobbed in a rush. Goldpaw and Eveningpaw pressed their noses to her pelt in a way of comfort. Raindancer looked at her. "She spoke to you? What did she say?" he demanded. Qweenie barely managed to speak through her tears. "She said she was going to join her sons… And she said something about Smallstar and Redcloud being in danger…" she mewed. Quietangel was crying silently, and Eveningpaw was licking Azuresun gently, tears washing the blood off of her fur. Even Goldpaws eyes were misted. Raindancers head was held low in grief. "Oh, no no no…" he murmered. At last he looked Qweenie in the eyes, and she saw inexplainable sadness there. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. He didn't reply, but turned to Azuresuns body. "We'll take her back to camp," he announced quietly.

Murmers of surprise and lamentations filled the night as Raindancer carried Azuresun across camp to Smallstars den. Smallstar stood in front of it, with Redcloud at his side.

iThey don't look like they're in danger to me…/i thought Qweenie, puzzled over Azuresuns last words.

Smallstars chocolate face was grief-striken as Raindancer laid Azuresun at his paws.

"I'm sorry," whispered the black-and-white tom, before taking a few steps back. Smallstar touched his nose gently to Azuresuns pelt. Qweenies head was lowered in shame… She had no right to be here, sharing in the Clans grief. After a few moments, that seemed to last an eternity, Smallstar looked up.

"What happened?" he asked softly. Goldpaw and Eveningpaw glanced at Qweenie.

"Qweenie found her…" mewed Quietangel. Eyes turned onto the small kittypet, and suddenly she felt very vurnerable.

"I… I got separated from the rest of the patrol… And found her… Like that… Only she was still alive." Qweenie mewed in a trembling voice. "She… told me that she was going to join Stonepelt and Lost…"

"Right… You were the one to find Azuresun, while she was still alive? Does anyone else find this suspicious?" growled Redcloud, interrupting Qweenie. His green eyes glittered sinisterly. Qweenie was taken aback. Surely Redcloud didn't think she had been responsible for the death or Azuresun?

"Quiet, Redcloud," meowed Smallstar. "Do you honestly believe Azuresun could be overpowered by a kittypet? No… Qweenie, did Azuresun say anything else?"

Qweenie, swallowing her fear and bewilderment, spoke. "Yes… She said… That… You and Redcloud are in danger." Her words tumbled out in a rush, her heart pounded in her throat. Redclouds eyes narrowed. Smallstars eyes widened. For a long moment, the camp was silent.

Finally, Smallstar straightened. "Qweenie… I'll speak to you in my den later. For now we need to carry out the proper ceremony for Azuresun," he meowed. Murmers of agreement arose from the gathered cats. Smallstar came forward first and arranged Azuresuns body so she slept in the same position of dignity and grace that she had lived her life through. While Smallstar and Qweenie had been speaking, Raindancer and Quietangel had cleaned the late deputys fur so it shone brilliantly in the moonlight. _Moonlight!_ Qweenie looked up at the sky. It was nearly moonhigh already. She glanced at Smallstar – The small siamese was also looking at the sky, looking full of grief.

One by one, the cats of RiverClan stepped forward to share tounges with their fallen friend. Qweenie stepped away, knowing she had no right to intrude upon this ceremony.

Redcloud stepped forward slowly and for some reason, Qweenie tensed. The young warrior bent over and rasped his tounge between her ears gently, murmering something softly. He stayed there for a moment, his nose pressed to her forhead, his eyes closed. Suddenly they shot open and their green was startlingly vivid in the darkness of the night. His eyes latched onto hers and she shuddered. She was very unsettled – Out of all the kittypets in the little click, Qweenie was the most sensitive. Princess was the wisest, Pepper the quietest, Whiskers the friendliest and Lilo was the one always bouncing off the walls. Anyways, over time Qweenie had learned to trust her instincts – And right now her instincts told her Redcloud was trouble.

The white warrior turned and padded away, but not before Qweenie caught a glipse of that look that unsettled her so.

Soon the Clan was casting glances at the scorched stump, impatient for the ceremony to begin. Qweenies eyes were fixed on the entrance to the leaders den as he stepped out, his small shoulders hunched with sadness at the loss of his deputy. Silverpool pressed her muzzle to his comfortingly. He seemed to take strength from his mates gaze, for he looked at her silently for a minute before jumping onto the Scorched Stump.

"Let all cats young and old enough to swim in the mighty river gather here around the Scorched Stump for a Clan meeting!"

There had hardly been need for him to call his Clan, but as his voice broke the nights silence a few cats stode from corners or dens to sit at the edge of the crowd. Smallstar cleared his throat.

"I say these words before the body of Azuresun that she may hear and approve my choice," mewed Smallstar. As he paused before announcing the new deputy, Qweenie stole a look at Redcloud. The warriors gaze was fixed hungrily on Smallstar… She knew she didn't imagine the eagerness in his green eyes.

"Wintercall will be the new deputy of RiverClan."

Meows of congratulations arose from the crowd. The wintery bengal stood, a look a surprise and pleasure on her face. Her mate, Bloodclaw, purred and pressed his muzzle to her pelt. Qweenie realized the she-cat had been a popular choice.

Redcloud approached Wintercall, his gaze warm. He gave her a congratulary nudge to the shoulder and mewed something Qweenie was to far to here. Wintercall nodded and made her way to the Stump. As the bengal padded away, his green eyes turned darker, angrier. There was jealousy in their depths.

A thought struck Qweenie as she remembered Azuresuns words. _Smallstar… Danger… Redcloud…_

At the time she had thought Azuresun meant Smallstar and Redcloud were in danger, but did the silver she-cat mean Smallstar was in danger _from_ Redcloud?

**I think I'm cliffy happy. oO Anyways, free Qweenie plushies to anybody who reveiws this chappy:D**


End file.
